Initial letter S with putto
ca. 1538
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 7/8 × 1 15/16 in. (4.8 × 4.9 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anne and Carl Stern Gift, 1959
Accession Number
59.507.3(14)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate woodcut *Initial letter S with put* by Heinrich Vogtherr Elder, created around 1538. This tiny gem, measuring just under 2 inches square, exemplifies the intricate ornamental designs that adorned early printed books during the Northern Renaissance. Vogtherr a prolific German printmaker active in Strasbourg, was renowned for his versatile woodcuts, which ranged from anatomical illustrations to Protestant propaganda. Here, a plump putto—a cherubic child figure borrowed from Italian Renaissance motifs—frolics amid swirling dragons and floral flourishes, forming the grand lette...